5 Times Merlin and Arthur Almost Kissed (and 1 time they did)
by Jabberwockyjinxes
Summary: The problem was that Merlin wasn't just beautiful, but he was also brave and funny and clumsy and adorable and wise and innocent and probably in love with Guinevere. So that's why Arthur couldn't kiss Merlin.
1. Chapter 1

So, it wasn't Arthur's fault, right? It wasn't his fault that he had a thing for lanky, skinny boys with ridiculous cheekbones and biteable ears. And it definitely wasn't his fault that the boy, whose name was Merlin (and wasn't that a silly name) happened to come across his path. That was all Merlin's fault.

So _maybe_ he had made the whole situation worse. He could hardly be blamed for it. And _maybe_ that mace fight let him get close enough to confirm that yes, Merlin's eyes really were that blue. And his lips…

Arthur had never tripped so much in one fight. He felt like a clumsy squire all over again, too thin for his limbs, going askew all over the place. All in all, he had a truly fantastic time right up until Gaius came and put a stop to it all just with one raised eyebrow. So of course he had to act all offended, like he hadn't just been enjoying a thoroughly, ah, _rousing_ few minutes. Then he sent Merlin on to the dungeons and within a few tidy minutes he was back to throwing knives at poor Morris to distract himself.

He decided that he would never think on the boy again.

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 **1 update a day. 6 chapters. Merthur, on the off chance you didn't notice. Apologies if someone has already written this, but hey, it's more fanfic to read.**


	2. Chapter 2

Later Arthur would wish that Mary Collins had killed him after all, because death couldn't possibly be worse than _this._

First of all, Merlin's hands skittered everywhere. Arthur could only assume the boy had never had to dress or undress anyone before (he hadn't) because there was no other reason for him to fumble so much. Surely undoing some buttons wasn't so difficult? And when Merlin's hands got down to his britches, he had to slap his hands away before he noticed anything.

"Arth- I mean, sire? What's wrong?"

Merlin's lips were very pink and full and- oh dear gods above, he was biting at his bottom lip in concentration. Arthur reached out to pull Merlin's mouth closer, then aborted the movement halfway through.

Arthur needed to get rid of this boy, stat. Or he would possibly die.

He foresaw many awkward mornings to come.

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 **The next chapter is longer. I'm trying to expand my range in terms of writing, but I'll admit my sense of humour is incompatible with that of the general public (some Norwegian dark comedies, anyone?) and thus I am forced to rely on wordplay and ridiculousness to convey humour. Practice makes perfect, right?**


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin was always getting himself into trouble. But he had really outdone himself this time.

The problem was that Merlin wasn't just beautiful, but he was also brave and funny and clumsy and adorable and wise and innocent and probably in love with Guinevere. So that's why Arthur couldn't kiss Merlin. And then the idiot went and drank poison for Arthur.

So Arthur disobeyed his father and went after some plant that would save Merlin's life. And then he got back and got locked away and Guinevere was busy taking care of Merlin, which should have been Arthur's job, as _he_ was Merlin's employer and was thus responsible for his welfare.

Anyway, eventually Merlin got better and Arthur was released and later they discussed what had happened in their normal manner- Merlin, joking, Arthur, earnest.

"Guinevere kissed me." Merlin said. Arthur sat upright abruptly. Ah. His suspicions were confirmed.

"What?"

"Yeah." Merlin said.

"Was it good? Did you enjoy it?" Arthur had a masochistic streak, didn't he? There could be no other reason he was asking.

Merlin blushed an adorable pink, just another facet of his charm and cast his eyes down. "It was…"

"It was?" Arthur prompted.

"I very much enjoyed it. But Gaius was there and Gwen is… I don't see her that way."

"Ah." Arthur said. "You have, of course, noticed that she's in love with you?"

"Yes."

"And how do you intend to solve that problem?"

Merlin flushed an even deeper, adorable shade of red. "I thought I might- misdirect her. Allow her to believe that my affections are directed towards another. And besides, I know a man who already loves Gwen. They'd be happy together."

Arthur paced in a circle, considering Merlin's plot. It seemed liable to failure. What if Merlin's unavailability only inflamed Guinevere's passions?

The colour Merlin was turning certainly inflamed _his_.

"And who are you pretending to be in love with, then?"

Merlin mumbled something, embarrassed. Arthur prompted him to speak again.

"I said, I'm not pretending to be in love with them. I am. In love. With them, I mean. Not with Gwen, with y- them."

Arthur thought for a second of asking Merlin who exactly it was who had captured his heart so fully, then stopped himself. Knowing wouldn't make matters any better. Instead, he settled for interrogating Merlin on their virtues. "Are they worthy?"

Merlin smiled, skin crinkled around his eyes. "So worthy. They're brave and noble and just so, so them!"

Arthur felt a pang in his chest and thought about his knights. Could it be that Merlin's eyes strayed towards men? He wasn't sure if he wanted it to be true or not. If he did, then it meant he hadn't chosen Arthur. And if he didn't, it meant Arthur didn't stand a chance anyway. Either way, he was bitterly jealous of the one who had stolen Merlin's affections.

For a second, he thought about kissing Merlin. Just once, so he could know what it felt like, and then Merlin could go on to his great love.

But Arthur loved him, and that meant making him happy whatever the cost to himself. So he didn't.

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 **The author explains her absence: A small cold+working 48 hours this week=an author too tired to worry about the romantic woes of our protagonists. I have a day off, then work 11 days in a row. Hopefully I'll have energy to maybe edit my work before posting.**

 **Thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far- I haven't responded, but each and every one of them made me smile.**


	4. Chapter 4

After the incident with the poisoning, Arthur had to stop himself from kissing Merlin almost every day.

The Incident at the Lake made that all too clear.

Arthur had stripped down to his smallclothes and hopped in the water and started swimming. After a few teasing comments ("Don't worry Merlin, I've known you're a girl for a long time now, you don't need to hide!") Merlin undressed and began to hesitantly make his way into the water.

In retrospect, dunking Merlin under the water was a mistake, because it involved lots of skin to skin contact that Arthur had avoided thus far, and it kindled some inopportune thoughts he had been busy suppressing. Merlin came up, spluttering and shivering, and dunked Arthur under the water. They continued like that for several minutes.

Then, Merlin lost his footing and slipped into the deeper water. Arthur swam towards him, waiting for Merlin to come up for air.

He didn't.

Arthur dove down and scooped him up, pulling them to the shallower part. Merlin gasped for air, coughing up water. Arthur dragged him towards the grass.

After Merlin had stopped gasping for air, Arthur started feeling angry.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim! You idiot, you could have died!" he yelled. He grabbed Merlin by the shoulders, wanting to shake some sense into him.

"I'm sor-" Merlin started, but he was cut off by a viscous coughing fit. He waved a hand in the air. "Sorry. I just lost my footing."

Arthur knew it hadn't been such a close call. Merlin was still alive and well and hadn't even been underwater that long. But it made him realize something. Merlin needed protection. And the feelings he had towards Merlin were too tender, too gentle for a prince towards his manservant. It was fine when he only wanted Merlin's lips, but everything became much more complicated when he wanted for his heart as well.

Arthur would have kissed Merlin then, but everything was complicated and he was far too heartsick.

Merlin looked frustrated in the background.

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 **I'll admit I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. I considered two different ideas and went with this one because I'm pretty sure I've read something very similar to my second idea in this fandom before. Maybe I'll add it as a bonus chapter at the end, haven't decided yet.**

 **1 more almost kiss, then they finally get their act together!**


	5. Chapter 5

After the incident with the poisoning, Arthur began to look among his knights to see who Merlin seemed interested in. He considered the knights Merlin (and Arthur by extension) were closest to- Percival, Leon, Elyan, Gwaine, and Lancelot.

Leon and Elyan he eliminated right away- Merlin knew them least of all, and besides he didn't seem to harbour romantic feelings for them.

After some (rather graphic) thought, he struck Percival from the list. He had seen Merlin and Percival together and nothing in their body language spoke of a relationship that wasn't platonic.

That left Lancelot and Gwaine.

He decided to start by observing Merlin with Gwaine. He observed (spied) them as they talked together and spent time in each other's company. Arthur sent Merlin to spend time with Gwaine and then he followed and watched them. After three days of observation, Arthur came to his conclusion: Gwaine was hopelessly in love with Merlin, but Merlin didn't love him back.

That left only Lancelot.

Arthur thought he understood matters of the heart. Lancelot was obviously in love with Guinevere, and to Merlin's undoubtedly romantic soul, that would make him even more attractive, his unavailability. Arthur understood something of that. And besides, who wouldn't fall for Lancelot's smoldering spanish beauty?

A few days observation only solidified Arthur's opinion. Merlin and Lancelot were so very close and they seemed to share a secret between them. Lancelot spoke up for Merlin when Merlin needed defending and Merlin lent Lancelot a shoulder to lean on when Lancelot needed it.

With a bitter feeling in his gut and his heart, Arthur concluded that Merlin was in love with Lancelot. Then, he thought back to the conversation he had had with Merlin after the poisoning: Merlin intended to push Guinevere in the direction of someone who already loved her.

Suddenly, he understood. He had been friendly to Guinevere in the past. And then, not long after the conversation, he found himself in the same room as her more often.

Merlin was in love with Lancelot. He was trying to get Guinevere to fall in love with Arthur, a neat solution to free up Lancelot's affections and get her to stop pining after him. Merlin thought he was in love with Guinevere.

The whole thing made his head hurt.

He was almost done collecting evidence for this scheme. And in turn he would create his own scheme: To woo Merlin. If he showed evidence of falling in love with Arthur, then he would direct Guinevere to Lancelot. If he still had feelings for Lancelot, Arthur himself would marry Guinevere so Merlin could be free to pursue his love.

He started by sending flowers to Merlin's rooms. The next day, Merlin came in sneezing and red-nosed.

Next, he sent love poetry. Merlin showed them to Arthur, looking faintly perturbed, as he burned them in Arthur's fire.

Third, he tried sending small gifts to Merlin. He only got as far as sending a fine, well-crafted knife to Merlin's doorstep when Merlin showed up at his, shrieking about threats and people looking to kill him.

Fourth, he tried taking Merlin on a picnic with him. Merlin spent the entire time griping about how he was so far behind on his chores and wasn't Arthur tired of traipsing after small animals in the forest? They were attacked by bandits before Arthur could reveal the true purpose of the trip.

After that trip, he took some time to recover his thoughts. Merlin thought there was something wrong with him, something making him melancholy. He paid close attention to Arthur.

Every time he saw Lancelot and Merlin together, he felt a stab of jealousy. As usual, he thought of kissing Merlin- but Merlin hadn't responded to his obvious advances, and Arthur knew when to admit defeat.

Merlin looked at him sometimes and Arthur didn't understand what he saw in Merlin's eyes.

(If he could see his own, he would understand.)

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 **Merlin and Arthur are a hot mess. Also, I'm considering doing another spinoff along the same lines as this- 'Four times Arthur Pendragon tried to seduce Merlin (and one time it worked)'**


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur wasn't stupid. When he walked into his chambers one evening to find Merlin sleeping in the corner while rags danced around polishing his armour and brooms swept the floor of their own accord, he knew it was magic.

Merlin woke up with a start, scrambling to his feet. The armour dropped. He saw Arthur.

Arthur took a step forward.

Merlin took a step back.

Arthur took another step forward, predatory, and Merlin started walking backwards. He hit the wall and stayed there.

Through a haze of red, Arthur saw that Merlin looked very afraid. And Arthur…

He wasn't a man of reflection. He had a tendency to act first, think later. That was the only excuse he had for his next betrayal.

Step by step, he advanced towards Merlin. Once he was only a breath away from Merlin, he rested his forehead against Merlin's, boxing him in against the wall using his arms.

"You're a sorcerer."

"Warlock." Merlin corrected.

Arthur laughed, deep in his belly- a little bit helpless, a little bit lost, but laughing because it was ironic, wasn't it? That Arthur should be madly in love with a warlock.

Eventually, his laughter subsided. He couldn't look Merlin in the eye.

"I can't exactly turn you in, can I? Tell me, Merlin, would you have me betray my father for you? Have you enchanted me?"

"No, Arthur, I never would! I am here to serve you."

Arthur looked him in the eye. He thought of his father, and how Uther had dedicated his life to eradicating magic.

He didn't care.

"How else can you explain what I feel, how you make me feel then?"

Merlin lifted his arms to Arthur's chest. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Have you enchanted me?"

That made Merlin's head pop up, hitting the wall. He raised a hand to rub it. "Ow. No, why would I enchant you?"

"To make me fall in love, obviously. So you could get away with murder and I wouldn't care."

"That makes no sense. There's nothing in Camelot I want."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing I would ever ask for."

Arthur stood away from Merlin abruptly. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Merlin looked incredibly frustrated for a few seconds. "But I wouldn't. You must know that."

Yes, he did.

"Fine. Let's say I believe you. It's still treason to let you live."

Merlin threw his hands up in the air. "You're the sole heir to the throne! You'll be king in what, no more than what, twenty years? Less, probably. You can do whatever you want and no one can stop you, except the king maybe. So think for a second. You know about my magic now. What do you want to do next?"

His first thought went like this:

 _I want to kiss all those treasonous words right off those insolent lips._

His second thought went something like this:

 _Fuck it, I'm doing it._

Then, suddenly, Arthur was kissing Merlin.

Ah.

That was nice.

 _Very_ nice.

Merlin responded enthusiastically. Then, he did something with his tongue that had Arthur manfully, er, collapsing into bed, pulling Merlin down on top of him.

He vaguely noticed little lights and colours flashing everywhere, but he only stopped to think _I must be good at this_ before he resumed snogging Merlin.

They broke apart for a second to breathe and Merlin started talking. "Oh, you have no idea how long I've been trying to get you to do that. I thought for sure you would get the hint just from the way I helped you get undressed-"

Arthur kept snogging him.

"The way I kept talking about the person I was in love with, that was you by the way-"

More snogging.

"And I constantly flirted with Lancelot to see how you would react." Merlin finished. He launched another attack at Arthur's jaw. Arthur retaliated by reaching down to tickle him. Merlin squirmed and writhed, giggling breathlessly (which was the cutest thing he'd ever seen).

In that moment Arthur thought he didn't mind the magic at all. In fact, if it took a little magic to bring them together, that was perfectly fine by him.

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 **That's a wrap, folks! I'll admit I didn't love this chapter either, but I couldn't think of anything better and Micheal Phelps is racing in half an hour, so I'm just gonna put this out there.**

 **(Insert shameless self-promotion right about... here!) Like this? Want more? Check out my tumblr, Jabberwockyjinxes.**


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